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Northern alligator lizard

Elgaria coerulea · Lizards · Reptiles

Northern alligator lizard (Elgaria coerulea): Small, slim, gray-brown lizard with keeled scales, short legs, a long tail and a fold of small scales along each side; up to about 3.9 in snout-vent (WDFW). Brown back with black spots forming transverse bands; white spots on the edges of side scales (WDFW). This profile does not establish whether taking it is legal anywhere.

Check rules for a place and date

Certified rules currently represented in Hunt: coverage in development. This is coverage, not a legal answer.

Northern alligator lizard basking on a lichen-covered rock
Adobe Stock · Free asset, Standard License (asset 779181059)
Scientific name
Elgaria coerulea
Family
Anguidae
In North America
Native
Range
Southern British Columbia including Vancouver Island, south through western Washington and Oregon to west-central coastal California and the central Sierra Nevada, and in the Rockies to northern Idaho and western Montana, with disjunct populations in south-central Oregon, northeastern California and northwestern Nevada (NatureServe).
Biology

How to identify it

Small, slim, gray-brown lizard with keeled scales, short legs, a long tail and a fold of small scales along each side; up to about 3.9 in snout-vent (WDFW). [1][2]

Brown back with black spots forming transverse bands; white spots on the edges of side scales (WDFW). [1][2]

Brown eyes; underside light with dark pigment on the lateral edges of each scale (WDFW). [1][2]

Males have a broader, more triangular head; hatchlings are plain brown or have one line of dark spots down the midline (WDFW). [1][2]

Compared with the southern alligator lizard: Larger (up to 5.5 in snout-vent), yellow or gold eyes, and no dark pigment on the lateral edges of the belly scales (WDFW). [1][2]

Species it is confused with

Check these before deciding what you are looking at. If you are not certain what it is, do not shoot.

Field notes

  • Identification Confirm a northern alligator lizard before you act. Compared with the southern alligator lizard: Larger (up to 5.5 in snout-vent), yellow or gold eyes, and no dark pigment on the lateral edges of the belly scales (WDFW).[1][2]
Field knowledge

Where it lives

Grassy, brushy or rocky openings in forest, clearcuts and stream margins; rock walls, rock piles and woody debris in lightly developed areas (WDFW; NatureServe). [1][2]

Field knowledge

How it behaves

Active by day but secretive; usually found by turning rocks or woody debris (WDFW). [1][2]

Tail is easily shed when threatened (WDFW). [1][2]

Eats insects, ticks, spiders, millipedes and snails; litters average 4-6 (NatureServe). [1][2]

Hibernates in winter; in British Columbia individuals did not make long moves between summer habitat and hibernation sites (NatureServe). [1][2]

Regulatory handoff

Limited legal take

Legal take of this species exists only under narrow conditions — a quota, a draw, a permit, a small area, or animals released or held on private land — set by the authorities below. Nowhere else is a legal opportunity implied, and Hunt shows one only where a certified rule establishes it.

Where legal take is listed

Being listed is not an open season. Seasons, zones, licences, methods and limits decide whether this animal may be taken on a given day and place — check Hunt or the authority before you go. Listings read 2026-09-30.

Geospatial intelligence

Where it is found

Southern British Columbia including Vancouver Island, south through western Washington and Oregon to west-central coastal California and the central Sierra Nevada, and in the Rockies to northern Idaho and western Montana, with disjunct populations in south-central Oregon, northeastern California and northwestern Nevada (NatureServe).

Biology

Sources

Every claim above is attributed to one of these published sources.

  1. NatureServe · reviewed 2026-09-30

    NatureServe

  2. Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife · reviewed 2026-09-30

    Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife